Internet Search Strategies How and Where to Find What you Need on the Internet

Goals To be able to define a search engine and a search directory To be able to apply a strategy to help structure searches To be able to choose between a search engine and a search directory To be able to choose between simple and advanced search

Goals To be able to define a search engine and a search directory To be able to apply a strategy to help structure searches To be able to choose between a search engine and a search directory

Today’s Agenda Search Engine Vs. Search Directory Search Strategies Simple or Advanced Searching Google, is it all we need Reference practice

Today’s Agenda Search Engine Vs. Search Directory Search Strategies Google, is it all we need Questions?!

Exercise 1 What search tool did you use? What search terms did you use? What site did you find?

Search Engines Full-text indices Large amounts of web pages indexed All pages indexed by “spiders” Pages not evaluated Examples??

Search Directories Smaller indices, not full-text Pages added by submissions Grouped by subject Evaluated by staff/experts ◦To varying degrees Examples??

Types of Search Directories Two levels or purposes ◦General, broad coverage Librarians’ Index Librarians’ Index – Yahoo! - About.comYahoo! About.com ◦Focused on specific subjects  on any topic Law Directory of Open Access Journals Dog Health Directory

Types of Search Directories Two levels or purposes ◦General, broad coverage Librarians’ Index Librarians’ Index – Yahoo!Yahoo! ◦Focused on specific subjects  on any topic Business.com i-love-dogs.com

Why Focused Directories? Coverage of a topic ◦selected web pages ◦broken down into sub-topics Selected, often evaluated ◦guide to worthwhile sites You can often forage for yourself ◦broad interest ◦research need not clearly focused Sometimes fast way to find a specific answer ◦when search engines retrieve way too much

Finding Subject-Focused Directories LII ◦scattered throughout the entries Yahoo! ◦search a topic term + “web directories” EXAMPLE: woodworking web directories About.com – other general directories ◦search by subject  mixed in with other pages Google ◦Subject intitle:”directory of”

Which to Use? Directory Vs. Engine Search Directories ◦Search engine frustration  too many or “wrong” hits  tap into an expert’s web searching on the subject ◦Question on an aspect of a broad subject  overview or orientation to the subject ◦Special format or type of web item  sounds, images, databases, MP3, video, FTP sites Search Engines ◦Need to search “full- text” ◦Can narrow search with specific search terms ◦Look for a specific site ◦Locate interests “people put on the web

Exercise 2 Brainstorming Where to Search Clues in the keywords? ◦Search Engines – what words should be in the pages in your results? ◦Search Directories – what is the broader topic? ◦What search terms might work? Just practice thinking, don’t search yet.

#1 Search Strategy Know the question! Think about the question and the information you are trying to find. How much information is needed? How much info will successfully answer the question. Define the search terms. Choose unique and descriptive keywords Check all terms for duplicate meanings and synonyms. Examples?

#2 Search Strategy Keep your searching simple, direct, fast Learn about your question from what you find Change your approach as you learn Evaluate what you find for reliability

Exercise 3 Search Strategy Worksheet Analyze topics before you start searching ◦Unique words ◦Phrases ◦Organization ◦Increase specificity ◦What can you exclude

Simple Vs. Advanced Search Factors in choosing SPEED – Simple search is faster need to FOCUS on an aspect of a topic want LIMITS

Is Simple Sufficient? Yes, if… Simple Question contains unique words, distinctive names, acronyms ◦maltose ◦Ethernet ◦NAACP Question contains phrase or string ◦“lead pollution” ◦“communicable diseases” You can think of an organization with the answer ◦EAP ◦NIH

When should you use Advanced Search? Advanced Complex topic to search When terms have duplicate or many meanings When you need to add terms to focus the search ◦Use Boolean Logic  All search engines have the “implied AND”  Remember OR  Limit by exclusion

Exercise 4 Simple Vs. Advanced Search Use both types of searches Are there differences in results lists? Are results more reliable or of higher quality with one or the other?

Is Google the only one we need? Google Probably not, but it’s darn good. If you like Google…try BingBing

Cool Google Tips Google Things to remember ◦No more than 32 query words ◦Word order matters ◦Repetition matters ◦You can use slang or “industrial terminology” ◦Stemming

Questions?

Bing